Troy Gentry Issues Apology

Bob Paxman | Published: Nov 12, 2010

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Troy Gentry of the duo Montgomery Gentry has issued an apology, in the form of a handwritten letter, for the "unethical" method he used to kill a tame bear in 2004. The letter is posted on montgomerygentry.com and is also available to view here.

In 2006, Troy was arrested for his 2004 shooting of a tame black bear at the Minnesota Wildlife Connection preserve near Sandstone, Minn.” He falsely registered the kill as wild and was later fined $15,000 after pleading guilty to the false statement. But that did not put an end to the controversy.

The animal rights group SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) has felt since the incident that Troy was not punished severely enough for his actions. SHARK received the rights to post the video of Troy slaying the bear after winning a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, citing the Freedom of Information Act. The video was posted on YouTube in October and has raised a firestorm of protest and renewed attacks on Troy. "Once you watch this video, you will see proof of how loathsome and revolting a human being can be," said Steve Hindi, president of SHARK, in a statement.

Troy apologized for the original incident. He has now come forward again to issue a further apology. "I made a mistake, a bad decision and it has been an embarrassment to both me and my family," Troy writes on the current website posting. "At the time I apologized for the crime that I committed but failed to apologize for the unethical way the bear was taken. I am not proud of what I did and I am truly sorry."

Eddie Montgomery, the other half of the Montgomery Gentry duo, was not involved in the hunting incident.